The present invention generally relates to smoking devices, and more specifically to an improved cigarette holder.
Numerous cigarette holders are known. However, most of these merely securely receive one end of a cigarette and form an extension thereof. The unsupported or lit end is fully exposed and represents a hazard, particularly in some instances such as smoking in bed. The dangers of exposed lit cigarettes are of two basic types. The first is the danger of flying burning cinders, particularly in a windy environment. The second is the danger of depositing a lit cigarette on a surface or in an area which permits the cigarette to ignite combustible material. Sometimes a lit cigarette is inadvertently placed on a table, for example, or falls off an ash tray. Aside from the damage which may be caused to the table, a resulting fire may result in great damage to property and injury to life.
The conventional cigarette holders are not intended or designed to fully enclose a cigarette, and therefore the lit end, and consequently are not adapted to prevent the types of hazards above suggested.
Some cigarette holders are known which are intended to eliminate the above hazards. However, most of these do not function properly. Others are very complicated in construction and therefore expensive to manufacture. One such prior art holder is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,300. My earlier construction included many parts or components. Accordingly, assembly and maintenance was time consuming and inconvenient. A major disadvantage of the earlier construction was that it did not operate properly or efficiently. A metal sleeve was used to support the non-lit end of the cigarette. The sleeve had a diameter substantially corresponding to the inner diameter of the holder stem and was arranged for sliding movement within the stem. Because of buildups of tars or the like within the stem, there developed frictional forces between the sleeve and the stem about the entire periphery of the sleeve. Although the sleeve was biassed by a spring, it would frequency jam and thereby prevent the proper advancement of the cigarette. Additionally, the ash container, which normally encloses the lit end, was not thermally insulated from the other portions of the cigarette holder. This sometimes made the holder uncomfortably hot to hold or touch.